The Rat of the Zodiac
by mesmerizedbyceruleaneyes
Summary: You all hate me... because I'm the Rat of the Zodiac... Oneshot; rated T for abuse from Akito


The Rat of the Zodiac The Rat of the Zodiac

I'd collapsed from an asthma attack during P.E. These feverish dreams – nightmares – wouldn't leave me alone. I tossed and turned in discomfort, drifting between wakefulness and oblivion. Somewhere along the way, I recalled getting home and being settled into a futon, and then I knew no more.

"_Everyone hates you, Yuki." That voice – silkily and poisonously sweet – it could only belong to Akito. I was six years old again, and back in that torture chamber that was Akito's room._

"_That ox-boy – Hatsuharu, I think – he hates you. The cat-boy hates you too. You're the rat of the zodiac, that's why." The head of the Souma clan drew closer, and instinctively I backed up… until my back hit the rice-paper walls. This was a position I knew all too well; and I could easily predict what was about to happen next._

"_Liar. Faker. Fraud. Hypocrite." No! I wasn't! I cringed even further back as her harsh words grated on my ears._

"_I'm __not__!" I cried. "I'm __NOT__!"_

_The shadow of the whip marked as mine by my own blood fell across me. Akito's eyes glowed with sinister purpose; her lips curved in an evil smile. "Is that so?" Her hand descended sharply, and I felt the silk cloth on my back part without any resistance at the lick of the whip. My skin burned all along the break._

_Tears rose to my eyes, but I bit them back fiercely. "__Yes__!"_

"_That's not true, Yuki. Everyone hates you. Including me." Once again, the whip descended; I screamed as this time skin tore, burying my head in my arms to protect myself as best as I could, pressing into the screen walls._

_I knew better than to hope for rescue. Nobody had ever come; nobody would ever come. Everybody knew that Akito was dangerous, and that it was best to leave her alone unless one was a masochist or had a death wish. Unable to hold them back, I allowed the salty liquid overflow and drip onto the tatami floor._

"_Crybaby," she spat. "You always break so easily." Again, I saw the whip rise, already dripping slowly with blood that looked almost purple in the dim light. __My __blood. It drew back slightly before slashing down –_

Jerking awake, I screamed. "I'm _not_!"

"Yuki?!" Two heads appeared in front of me; one with orange hair and the other half white, half black. "Yuki, are you okay?!"

Obviously I wasn't, but I let it pass as I slowly tried to calm myself down. It was just a dream, it was just a dream, _it was just a dream_. I wasn't in Akito's room; I was in my own room in Shigure's house; I wasn't six, I was sixteen. And it wasn't Akito who stood before me, but my cousins, Hatsuharu and Kyou. The ox and the cat.

"Should we call Honda-san?" inquired Haru, sounding rather worried. "She did ask to be informed if anything happened…"

"Yeah; I'll go," said Kyou, beginning to rise.

Lingering fragments of the nightmare forced me to act; I grabbed hold of his arm before he could stand. "Kyou…"

He looked surprised. Then again, he _was_ used to me referring to him as 'baka neko'. "What, rat?"

"Do you… hate me?" I stared at him, imploring; Haru swam into my vision, looking puzzled by my sudden change in behavior. Normally I wouldn't let my insecurity show, not least to the other zodiac members and definitely not in front of the cat, who was supposed to be my sworn enemy.

"E-eh?! I –" Kyou seemed stumped, and was apparently speechless for the moment.

I shifted my gaze to Haru. "You hate me, don't you? Just like Akito said… everyone hates me because I'm the rat of the zodiac…"

Haru – White Haru – knelt down beside my futon. "No, Yuki. We don't hate you. Remember, I love you. We _all_ love our nezumi. Even Kyou." He wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug.

Kyou knelt down too. "Nightmares about Akito?" he asked gruffly, not meeting my eyes.

"Mm…" To my surprise, he, too, joined Haru in the embrace. I stiffened for a second before leaning into them. For the first time in ages, I let myself cry in front of someone else.

Sometimes, I truly loved my family.

--

**A/N: Erm… first Fruits Basket fanfic. In fact, first fanfic in a fandom apart from Prince of Tennis… Hopefully nobody's totally OOC. Constructive criticism and feedback is greatly appreciated! Review please!**


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